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Zel'acererak
Zel'acererak was a tomb that had held the body of Acererak, the god-pharaoh of the Zelfolk of Vhir in an age past. It was entered for the first time in millennia by a group led by Haliya of the Shrine of the Chemarn during the first century of Shardfall, the magical tomb returning to Tolas after one of Acererak's servants, Keraptis, had his mortal form shattered by Haliya and another group of adventurers. History The history of Zel'acerek is shrouded in mystery, with much of the research on the tomb being done by the scholar Diderius, a Zelfolk man who had traveled far from Vhir to Farthrone where the tomb had appeared. God, King, Man From what Diderius could understand, Acererak was a wizard cleric that had been among the first of the pharaoh kings of the Zels, using his great power to master both men and magical beasts. As legend holds, Acererak shed his mortal life at his reign's peak, becoming a powerful lich spirit. Said to have been unsatisfied with his immortality, Acererak is said to have sought apotheosis, and thus built a great tomb to house his body. Over eight decades the tomb was built, those that laboured to create this tomb of horrors were rewarded with death, their souls serving as the mortar for the magical wards and defences. Acererak then transported his tomb to the Astral Plane where it lay adrift, a fortress in the heavens where he could cast his soul out among the void, beyond the sight of the gods and their servants. However, according to the writings of the Great Bidaal, the first of the Magistrates, Acererak was banished for his hubris by the magi of the age and that such efforts were selfish and should not be emulated. A Servant's Call For more on this, see here. At some point during his journey into the void the ancient spirit was contacted by Keraptis, a wizard who sought to learn from Acererak, though in return he became his servant, with Acererak binding Keraptis' soul to powerful spells to keep him under his control. After many years Keraptis had built his own tomb, though unlike Acererak the years had not been kind to Keraptis' mind and he had crafted a dungeon akin to a madhouse. Seeking to lure greater powers to White Plume Mountain where he had built this dungeon so that he might bind them to him, Keraptis' physically body was destroyed by the warrior assassin Haliya and her allies, the mages' death cries reaching Acererak beyond the Veil and drawing him back to Tolas. The Hunter's Journey Warning: This article contains spoilers for Tomb of Horrors. Dramatis Personae * Haliya * Chapply Copperchops *Alida *Tuk-Nuk Preparing for Horror Haliya had recruited a number of others with an interest in searching the tomb of Acererak along with a scholar named Diderius who came from across the Amaran. With her allies, Haliya traveled up the canals of the Source as they were being further constructed by the Engineer Guild, bringing the Impenetrable Itinerant, ''the magical caravan owned by the clones of Numat Tol, a duergar shopkeep and magic item crafter. Using the gems and gold she had obtained from White Plume Mountain after returning the lost artefact ''Wave from the wizard Keraptis. Diderius offered to tell them of the tomb's history, warning that it was thinking person's dungeon, and that it may not be something they can brute force their way in. With that taken on board the group reached the mound of earth that held Zel'acererak. Digging Originally, Zel'acererak had been a great pyramid, capped with a golden stone that focused the ritual that allowed Acererak to cast his tomb beyond Tolas, but in the ages it has been away from the material plane all that remained of its exterior was a great mound of earth that had dumped itself near a canal in Source. The tomb was surrounded by scrub and bushes that it appeared to have twisted and sucked the moisture out of, leaving a barren and twisted landscape as one approached. It's northern face drew towards it sand as if from nowhere, creating a great heap that covered it, eventually it would cover the whole tomb, but at the time it was small enough to allow the four of Haliya's group to excavate. Seeing three good places to dig the group decided to begin on the eastern side of this sand pile, encountered a trapped corridor and a false door. They then chose to dig in the west, however once again another false door awaited them, the group cleverly avoiding a collapsing roof trap. With only the central of the pile to dig into the group discovered a long corridor leading into the tomb itself. The Red Path The group encounter a winding path of red mosaic tiles that leads deeper into the tomb. Haliya chooses to follow it, encountering no problems as she walks, only seeing some subtle runes placed along the path that began to influence her, giving her insight into to the tomb's creator. She was followed by Tuk-Nuk in the form of a badger, whilst Chapply remained at the entrance to watch for any threats, whilst chose to walk along the path not marked by the red tiles. As they walked, Alida fell victim to a pit trap, nearly getting impaled by the spikes at the bottom, appearing to vanish in front of everyone. After some investigation they found her in the deep pit, injured but still alive, and managed to recover her. Reaching the end of the path the group had to make a choice, either pass through an archway of mist or climb into the mouth of a demonic hole in the wall. Electing to try and solve the puzzle of the archway following the complete annihilation of a driftglobe they had purchased as it went into the demon's mouth. After touching the archway's keystones in a sequence, Haliya, Tuk-Nuk, and Chapply were transported to another part of the tomb, Alida however was returned to the entrance of the tomb. Realising that all she had done differently to the rest was not follow the red tiled path, she copied their route and found them in the warded chambers beyond. Riddles in Stone Deeper into the tomb, the group met with the secrets of the Three-Armed Gargoyle, it's magical wards protecting a hidden doorway. After some trial and error the group managed to get past the gargoyle, granting them a gem of true seeing letting them see the hidden doorway. With the gem's power, Tuk-Nuk was able to see a number of magical illusions hidden throughout the chambers beyond, taking a quick note of them the group began to investigate the large chamber they found themselves in with mosaics of orbs being held by strange figures along the walls. The Backwards Chapel Category:Campaigns Category:Location Category:Zelfolk Category:Vhir Category:Dungeon Category:Tales of the Yawning Portal